Hubert Davis confirms upcoming changes for the UNC basketball program
Additions need to be made to North Carolina basketball’s staff, most notably in the form of a general manager, coach Hubert Davis acknowledged on Monday. It’s a massive shift for Davis and UNC, as the program looks to adapt to the evolving landscape of college basketball.
“I am going to increase the staff and it’s needed,” Davis said Monday night during his weekly radio show. “I never would have thought that, (now) four years since I took the job, 100 percent what is needed is a general manager. There’s just so much stuff out there. And I mentioned owner, GM, fundraiser (and) basketball coach is so much on (my) plate that it will take you away from doing what’s the most important thing, coaching basketball.”
UNC football GM Michael Lombardi was among those present for Davis’ radio show, which is hosted at Top of the Hill. Upon being informed of Lombardi’s attendance, Davis jokingly quipped, “do you want to do basketball, too?”
The Tar Heels find themselves further sliding into a sinking state here at the midway point of ACC league play, sitting with a 13-10 overall record and two spots outside of fourth place in the conference standings. UNC has dropped four of its last five games and once again finds itself firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble as the final month of the regular season nears.
UNC was stomped by Duke 87-70 over the weekend at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils jumped ahead by 17 points during the first seven minutes of play, and led by as many as 32 points in the second half. Duke was the first college basketball program to employ a general manager, hiring former Nike and NBA staffer Rachel Baker in June 2022. Other programs have since followed and officially hired general managers, including Arkansas, Baylor, Michigan, Texas and Villanova. St. Bonaventure basketball announced the hiring of longtime NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski as its first general manager last September. Some of the responsibilities of a general manager can include salary negotiations, roster management and player scouting and acquisition.
UNC now is entering this space and aims to hire a general manager of its own. According to Davis, it’s a necessary change for the future.
“Yes, we’re going to hire a GM,” Davis said. “We need a director of marketing and fundraising for NIL, for program needs. There needs to be a video coordinator with graphics and recruiting coordinator, all those different types of stuff that have to be built out, whether it’s from specific hires or grad students.
“The old model for Carolina basketball just doesn’t work, it’s not sustainable. It has to build out because there’s so many things in play with NIL, the transfer portal, agents, international players. You just need a bigger staff to be able to maintain things, and you need a bigger staff so I can do what I’m supposed to be doing, (which) is coaching basketball.”
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